ANN ROMNEY: Candidate’s Wife Comes After Critics

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Thursday, Ann Romney returned to the metro for the first time since caucus night ... when her husband, Mitt, was initially declared the winner. She seemed to relish that initial declaration while speaking before 300 supporters at a Clive home furnishings business. Mrs. Romney said, “I don’t want it to be a 10-vote margin again. I want to have a bigger win so let’s make sure in Iowa we win big."

The state party initially declared her husband an 8 vote winner, but later had to correct that misstatement by announcing Rick Santorum won by 34 votes.

Romney headlined a “Women for Mitt”. She wanted Iowans to know the real man. She said, “named the *second *place finisher after a re-count of caucus results. For me, I know the man. Married to him for 43 years. I know he's a good guy. I know he cares."

She also knows it’s been a trying week for her husband's campaign. A secretly recorded tape at a Florida fundraiser cast doubts among some about what her husband really thinks of those who don't have money, those he claims don't pay federal income taxes.

Mrs. Romney said her husband was just commenting about political realities, that a portion of Americans won’t vote for him no matter what. She said he wasn’t trying to be insensitive. Mrs. Romney said, “You automatically know when you go in to an election that there's going to be a certain percentage that are not going to be with you. That’s what he was referring to. So there's no derogatory feelings or anything like that. I know what mitt's running. He's running for those that really are in trouble."

Democrats have repeatedly used the Romney family's wealth as source of criticism. The former first lady said she feels those criticisms personally. She said, “Everyone can be critical of that, you know that we don't care, we're out of touch or whatever. And you say , excuse me, we do care. We are running because we care. That is the misperception I love correcting."

Another one is that he can't win over the women's vote. Ann Romney, along with other women for Mitt, work to change that, so her husband avoids becoming the odd man out with voters again this November.